National Network for Equitable Library Service

Luaine is daughter to the greatest of Irish warriors, the legendary Cuchulainn. Although known throughout Ireland as the most fearsome of killers, to Luaine he is a loving playful father who amuses her with his exciting tales and marvelous feats. When the unthinkable happens -- Cuchulainn returns from war injured nearly to the death -- it is the first intimation of the hero's downfall, and Luaine's first painful step toward an adult life unlike anything she has imagined.

Layne wants nothing more than to follow in his father’s footsteps and to be a bull rider. His dad was one ride away from a National championship when he got trampled to death. Layne wants to be able to give his dad that championship, by winning it for him. What he doesn’t want, though, is to end up like his father and die in a rodeo arena. When the chance comes, Layne realizes he must face up to his greatest fear.

Allegra thinks being at a performing-arts high school will change her life and make her a better dancer. But high school is still high school, complete with cliques, competition and cruelty. Allegra's refuge comes in the form of a class she doesn't want to take, music theory, taught by a very young, very attractive male teacher. Soon all Allegra can think about is music composition, and Mr. Rochelli. But has she misunderstood his attention, or is he really her soul mate?

Dime is fifteen and angry all the time. Her parents don’t like the way she dresses, her boyfriend, her attitude. Her older brother Darren was paralyzed in an accident she walked away from, and Dime is sure her parents wish she were the one in the wheelchair. When the fights and accusations finally become too much, Dime moves in with her brother. At first she is overjoyed with the change of scenery and lack of parental control. But when her troubles follow her, she finds that maybe it isn’t everyone else who is the problem.

When Cameron rescues a baby abandoned in the woods, everyone says it is a miracle. A stroke of luck that he just happened to be there, riding his bike along that trail, and heard the baby's cry. But Cameron has a secret: It wasn't just luck. He was there because his twin sister Katie begged him to go. Did Katie know about the baby? Is she covering for someone? At first Cameron just wants some answers but once he knows the truth he has to decide what to do with it.

Kaylee used to love to fly. With two pilots for parents, how could she not? But when her father's plane goes down and neither the wreckage nor his body is found, she develops a terror of flying. She is too afraid to convince her mother to take her back to the Caribbean to search for her father. And she is haunted by fear whenever her mother goes up to fight fires in a water bomber. Kaylee escapes her fear and her grief on treks with her dog, Sausage, through the forest, the Big Tangle, near her home.

Byron is psyched when his older brother Jesse invites him on a weekend caving trip, even if it means spending time with Cole, Jesse's obnoxious college roommate. With Jesse's girlfriend Michelle rounding out the group, Byron is sure the excursion will be a success. Things get tense when they near the cave, only to find that the way in is blocked. Byron stumbles on the entrance to a new cave, but the thrill of his discovery is overshadowed by Cole's increasingly strange behavior.

Jack’s dad is tough on him, but he has learned to live with it. For the most part, Jack has it pretty good. He’s a star player on his high school basketball team with everything going for him; scoring records, popularity and an easy path to a college scholarship. Then, the unbelievable happens, and bad news leads to worse news. Almost as fast as the crash that put his mom in the hospital, everything that Jack believes in starts to crumble. His only hope is to discover what’s really going on, and quickly. If he doesn’t, Jack may lose much more than a basketball career.

Kevin Frasier is in a new high school. His fourth in the last year. He is trying to get along and not cause any waves. When he falls in with Nick and his friends, Kevin ends up going along as the group bullies and threatens their way through the school. When Nick starts tormenting Erin and she stands up to him, the harassment escalates until Kevin is forced to make a difficult decision and risk everything.

Ian has been spending his summers on Key West for years, helping his Uncle Gord at his dive shop and spending as much time as he can underwater. When he’s not diving, he’s admiring Sherri, the girl who works at the dive shop. A series of accidents leads Ian to believe his uncle is in grave danger, but the truth turns out to be more terrifying than he could have imagined.